Gave Away Silver

Following his sermon to more than 400 men at the Bowery Mission House the East Side last night, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas, the Persian philosopher and teacher of world wide amity and love, gave each member of his congregation bright 25-cent piece. The report that there was “a guy givin’ away quarters at the mission” spread like wild-fire throughout the Bowery and it was not many minutes before an enormous crowd collected outside the iron lattice work that protects the mission’s door-way. But there were only enough quarters for the congregation and none of the crowd outside enjoyed the bounty unless one of those who attended the mission service chose to share his good fortune.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas has addressed many fashionable congregations since his advent into New York and when he expressed the desire to see the religious work carried on among the poor in the city he was invited to speak at the Bowery Mission. Through his interpreter Dr. Ameen Fareed, his nephew, he told the mission congregation that they should be thankful that they were poor for Jesus Christ had said, “Blessed are the poor.”

When the philosopher finished his sermon he said that he wished to shake hands with every one present. As the congregation filed out the preacher stood by the door with a large bag in his left hand. As each man shook the philosopher’s right hand he received a quarter and a “godspeed” in the teacher’s native language.